The One with Magic
by Kelly White Peach Lover
Summary: Summary:  [coauthored with writerchic16] Phoebe and Paige go with Piper to a cooking competition in New York City, where they meet an unusual group of friends. [“Friends” xover, slightly AU]
1. Prologe

**The One With Magic **

Summary[coauthored with writerchic16 Phoebe and Paige go with Piper to a cooking competition in New York City, where they meet an unusual group of friends. ["Friends" xover, slightly AU

A/N: To make the story the best and funniest it could possibly be, writerchic16 and I have decided to alter the Charmed timeline a bit. Phoebe is still with Cole, and Wyatt is a baby. Leo _and_ Paige are full time whitelighters. In the "Friends" universe, it takes place after the finale, before Joey moves to L.A.

This is a collaborative effort with writerchic16, author of both "Charmed" and "Friends" stories. We don't know each other, but met through because of our mutual love for both shows. We hope that contact through AIM will be enough to write a great story. The system we have figured out is that writerhic16 will start off, and we'll alternate writing chapters…wish us luck that it works, lol. Feel free to let us know if the story stops making sense at any point.

Enjoy the story!

"Taste this," Piper ordered, shoving the meat-loaded fork into Paige's mouth. An old friend from her restaurant days had emailed her recently. The friend saw the advertisement for a cooking contest in Manhattan and thought of Piper, who he remembered to always, be an outstanding chef.

At first, Piper declined, making up excuses about her Charmed duties and her responsibility to the club. But both her sisters and Leo made her see reason. P3 could be closed for a week or two, and demons probably wouldn't attack her if she was away from the manor. Plus, Phoebe and Paige were experts at kicking demonic behind – they would be fine on their own.

Piper slowly came around to the idea. She, Leo and Wyatt had never been on a family vacation before…and New York did sound like an interesting place, from the stories she'd always heard Phoebe tell. And this would be a good opportunity to use her long-dormant cooking ability.

However, once she'd signed up for the competition, anxiety started to set in. She hadn't cooked professionally in _years_.

To prepare herself, Piper was spending every free minute cooking up her fanciest dishes. The competition was in a week and, darn it, she'd be ready. Even if it meant she had to use her sisters as lab rats.

Willing lab rats, but still lab rats.

"Ah…_ouch_! I think you burnt my tongue," Paige whined, grabbing a nearby cup and filling it up with water from the sink.

Wiping a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, Piper said, "Quit your complaining. What does it taste like? Does it taste done? Does it need more thyme?"

"It's…good?" Paige replied, wincing as Piper groaned and went back to mixing the contents in a sauté pan.

Phoebe, who'd been watching the scene from her seat on the kitchen island, chuckled. "Piper, honey, calm down. Everything you make is fabulous."

"Not fabulous enough," Piper muttered, almost to herself. "It needs something…salt…no…not pepper…maybe some type of liquor?"

"I think you're the one who needs some type of liquor," Paige mumbled, making Phoebe laugh again.

About to retort, Piper looked up as blue and white orbs appeared in the kitchen. Leo stood before her two seconds later and greeted her with a kiss on her cheek. "Hi, honey. What are you making now?"

"The latest in tongue burners," Paige answered for her, gulping down some more water.

Recovering from her giggle-fit, Phoebe instantly became serious. Leo had been out trying to find Cole. "So, did you find him?"

"Yeah, he's okay," Leo replied, causing Phoebe to sigh with relief. "He's going to be hiding out up here for a while. He wants to see you but just doesn't know if it's safe enough."

Piper nodded. "Good. If he's not sure he lost the bounty hunters, I don't want him coming around here, especially with Wyatt."

"Where is Wyatt, by the way?" Leo asked.

Gesturing in the general direction of the living room, Piper answered. "In his room. I think he's sick of his mommy forcing 'yucky' food on him."

"Aw, don't take it personally. You know kids. Anything that's fancy is usually 'yucky,'" Leo reminded her.

After a few moments of idle chatter, Phoebe began, "You know…if Cole's looking for a place to meet up…I'm sure no bounty hunters would think to look in New York City…"

"Oh, no you don't. This is our family vacation," Piper interrupted. She was all for her sister finding love, but she'd been really looking forward to some private time with her own family.

"Please, Piper?" Phoebe begged. "We'll pay our own way, take separate flights, or shimmer there…heck; we'll even stay in another hotel…"

Piper tried to stay strong, she really did. But Phoebe's begging face was hard to say no to. And Leo and Paige were on Phoebe's side, both giving Piper pleading looks. Sighing, she said, "Alright, fine. But you might as well stay in the same hotel. Competition contestants get reduced rates for two rooms for them and family."

"Thanks, Piper!" Phoebe squealed, getting out of her seat to hug her sister, then Leo. "Can you take me to him now? I can't wait to tell him the good news!"

Hesitating, Leo smiled at her after a second. "Yeah. He's safe at the moment." Leo kissed Piper good-bye, assured her that they would be back soon, and orbed off with Phoebe.

Once they left, Paige sat down at the island, giving an exaggerated, depressed sigh. "I guess I'll stay here…all alone…by myself…where demons could attack…"

"You can come too, Paige," Piper chuckled.

Paige immediately perked up, hugging Piper from behind. "Thank you! I've never been to New York before!" She then grabbed the fork Piper had put aside, took another large bite of the stew, and threw the spoon in the sink. When Piper raised an eyebrow, she shrugged. "What? I said it was good."

"Get out of here," Piper retorted, ushering her sister out of the kitchen. When Paige happily went up the stairs, Piper put her hands on the counter and her head down.

_What just happened?_

In a manner of minutes, her quite vacation with her husband and son had turned into a vacation for the whole Halliwell family. Shaking her head, she went back to her cooking.

_Look out, Manhattan. The Charmed Ones are coming._

Chandler Bing hesitated as he walked up the steps to the front porch of his Westchester home. He sniffed the air. A combination of odd smells was coming from his home, and he knew he wasn't the one who created them.

Well, they weren't _odd_, per se. Just…unusual for his house. It smelled like someone was cooking a complex meal. And while his wife, Monica, was a professional chef, lately she'd been bringing home leftovers from her restaurant for him. Something he really didn't mind, considering he'd once been used to Captain Crunch cereal and toast during his bachelor days.

He opened the door, which had been left unlocked and walked into the living room. It wasn't empty.

Ross Gellar and Rachel Green sat on the couch, wrapped up in each other's arms while they watched television. Ross was his brother-in-law, best friend first though, and Rachel was his…fiancée, to give the simplest explanation. Their three-year-old daughter, Emma, was playing with his adopted twin son and daughter, who each were in their carriers on the floor.

"Hello…unexpected company…" Chandler greeted. Granted, the scene wasn't too uncommon – the drive from Manhattan wasn't long. He could come home from work on a Wednesday night and find all four of his friends gathered around the table for dinner, his wife dishing out restaurant leftovers. It was just that Monica usually mentioned if someone was coming when he called her during the day.

"Uncle Chandler!" Emma squealed, running over to give him a hug.

Her parents were less enthused. Barely glancing at him, they both waved hello. "Hey, man," Ross replied.

Kissing Emma hello, Chandler began to make his way to the kitchen to find his wife. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Rachel warned. "I've already been swatted on my hand with a spatula."

"She nearly took off my finger when I tried to taste something," Ross added, holding up his black-and-blue left index finger.

Chandler winced, not doubting their testimonies. His wife was known to get…anal in the kitchen at times. The question was, why _now_?

Chancing a glance in the kitchen, his jaw dropped. It was organized chaos, and the only reason he knew it was organized was because there was no way his wife would operate without some kind of system. Pots and pans were everywhere, stacked neatly of course, complimented by open cook books and stray ingredients on every available surface.

In the midst of it all, Monica was stirring ingredients in a large bowl, gripping a wooden spoon so hard her knuckles were turning white.

Deciding to take Rachel's advice, he backed out of the kitchen without Monica noticing and reentered the living room. He gave his friends a confused glance. "Is there some major holiday coming up that I don't know about?"

"Cooking competition," Rachel explained.

Chandler's shoulders sagged. He should've known.

A few days ago, Monica's coworker put up a flyer for a cooking competition in Manhattan. Since the contest was mostly for amateurs, Monica didn't consider it, even though competing was one of her favorite activities. No question that some real or invented excuse drove her to sign up since she'd told him about the competition last night. "What happened?" he asked.

"Some idiot called her chicken for not signing up," Ross answered, not a trace of disbelief in his voice.

Chandler sighed. Picking up Erica, since her brother Jack was sleeping, he carried the infant toward the kitchen. "Come on, sweetie. Mommy can't yell at Daddy with you in the room."

With Erica securely leaning against his shoulder, he made he slowly made his way into the kitchen. "Honey, I'm home!" he called, approaching Monica as he would a sleeping tiger – very carefully.

He let out a relieve breath when she gave him a smile. "Hi honey!" she greeted, kissing him on the cheek. "I decided to enter that competition. I'll show that jerk…"

"What did 'that jerk' do?" Chandler asked, not sure if he really wanted to know.

Monica's eyes narrowed, as if reliving an unpleasant memory. "Well, I was passing as he was signing up. He asked me if I was, and I said I wasn't…he just _looked_ at me funny. So of course I need to show him now."

"Of course," Chandler muttered. Clearing his throat, he questioned, "Why are Rachel and Ross over?"

"I needed tasters," Monica answered. "I want to get a survey of what you guys think are my best dishes, then work on those until the competition next week."

Chandler raised an eyebrow. "Next _week_? How long is this competition?"

"The contest lasts five days, with the awards dinner on the weekend," Monica explained, ignorant of her husband's surprise. "I was planning on staying with Joey, since he offered."

Gaping at her, Chandler exclaimed, "Were you planning on discussing this with _me_? What if I wanted to come?"

Monica gave him a placating smile. "Sweetie, of course I want you there. But I just thought that with the twins, we wouldn't be able to stay with our friends, we'd have to stay in the hotel the competition rented out…"

"So let's do that then!" Chandler replied, growing used to the idea the more he thought about it. It'd been ages since he'd been in the city to visit his best friend, not to mention that he missed his former home – both Joey's apartment and Manhattan in general.

Staring at him, Monica asked, "But what about your job?"

"Screw my job!" Chandler exclaimed. At Monica's disbelieving face, he added, "I mean, uh, I have a few sick days I could use. But still screw them because I won't be sick, hah!"

Monica chuckled, kissing him again. "Aw, you're so sweet for wanting to support me. This will be so much more fun with my family there…" She paused, glancing down at the table. "Have you seen my wooden spoon?"

"I thought you left it in the bowl…" Chandler trailed off. He whirled around at a fast movement, and then wrinkled his brow. Erica was holding the spoon, chewing on the handle. Taking it out of her mouth, he handed the drool-covered spoon to his wife. "Here it is."

"I wonder how she got this," Monica wondered, looking at her daughter with curiosity while she wiped the spoon down with a nearby napkin.

About to reply, Chandler hesitated when he felt Erica's diaper moisten. Giving his daughter a playful, accusing glare, he remarked, "Well you're just full of surprises today, aren't you?"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One Written by Girl Version of Chandler Edited by WriterChick16

* * *

Piper sighed as she looked out of the airplane 

"_This is unbelievable. Here I am flying __**in**__ an airplane like average human being and feeling mortified. I should be happy. HAPPY! This is the most normal thing our family has done since well forever. So why do I feel this way?" Piper thought_

Leo had suggested that all of them including Cole who was persuaded by Phoebe who had begged and threatened him by withdrawing herself from certain activities that Piper tried not to imagined, that they all would fly to JFK instead of the usual orbing/shimmering.

"It would be less suspicious and besides you always said you wanted a normal family vacation," Leo had reasoned with her

"_Yeah but I didn't expect these results!" _Piper thought angrily

Since the plane took off, Wyatt wouldn't stop crying. Thus other passengers have been giving them not so pleasant looks in fact so angrily at her that Piper couldn't control her temper and practically froze the entire passenger seating in coach

"Piper!" Leo sputtered out

"Oh they had it coming Leo," Piper said offhand

"Piper y'know I really wanted those tasty salted peanuts," Phoebe whined

"How bout some ginger ale over here as well,." Cole mumbled looking a little green

"Your over hundred years old, surly you could handle a little turbulence," Paige stated with a smirk

"And they called me evil," Cole whispered to Phoebe

"Oh honey, don't worry it will be over soon," Phoebe said soothingly

"Phoebe we've been on this contraption for over twenty minutes, I don't think I could handle it,." Cole murmured as he closed his eyes and leaned against his window seat. Phoebe started to rub his shoulder

"Y'know Wyatt is acting the most mature out of all of you except you honey" Leo quickly added to Piper who in returned rolled her eyes

"Alright! Alright! I'll unfreeze these roaches but it keep in mind you asked for it."

Piper unfroze the lot and as soon as she did the passengers were in an uproar of confusion and the soda that was frozen in mid flight had landed on Leo's head

Leo sighed

"You could of moved it. y'know," Leo stated as he juggled Wyatt to the other arm so he could take of the offend Soda cup

"Hey! You asked for it." Piper giggled and helped Leo mop his hair dry

"_Maybe this flight wouldn't be so bad after all." _Piper thought with a smile on her face

TBC


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**By writerchic16**

* * *

Monica and her family arrived at the contest hotel, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that it was decent. Rummaging through her purse, she found the papers they would need and headed to the check in desk. "Alright, guys, why don't you go sit in the waiting area while I go check us in."

"Okay Mon – and see if you can get room service to leave a pizza on my pillow every morning," Joey replied, his duffel bag over his shoulder. He'd been disappointed to find out that one of his best friends wouldn't be staying with him. Then Chandler got the idea that since the contest gave them an extra room, Joey should come with them. "Those chocolates are so small!"

Smirking, Monica assured him that she would and went up to the receptionist. But before she could, she dropped her credit card. By the time she bent down to get it, another dark-haired woman approached the desk. "I'd like to check in, I'm Ms. Piper Halliwell, here for the cooking competition…"

"_Excuse_ me," Monica interrupted, going to stand next to Piper. "But I think I was next."

Piper gave her a fake smile. "Well, I don't. If you'll just…"

"No, I won't 'just.' I was next!" Monica argued.

Noting the fight, a male receptionist came over to them. "Ladies, please! We can take you at the same time – my coworker would be happy to assist one of you."

"Fine," they both huffed. As they went to separate check in machines, Monica couldn't help but glare at the woman who'd called herself Halliwell…

The man took Monica's outstretched credit card, and asked for her basic information. Both receptionists asked what type of room the two would like at about the same time.

Monica and Piper answered in chorus. "A deluxe room."

The two receptionists glanced at each other, and Piper's cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, but…we only have one deluxe room left."

Turning to Piper, Monica could see that the other woman _wanted_ that room. They stared each other down for a second. Finally, Piper challenged, "I have a young son. And sisters staying with me."

"I have two infants," Monica retorted. "And four friends who will be coming to visit during the week."

Another moment of silence. Then Piper let out an aggravated sigh. "Go ahead, take it."

"Thank you," Monica replied with an insincere grin, then turned to the receptionist. "_I'll_ take the deluxe room."

"Are you here for the cooking competition?" the receptionist asked.

Monica nodded. "Yes. I'm signed up under Monica Geller-Bing."

At that, Piper's head snapped up, narrowing her eyes at Monica. "_You're_ competing too?"

"Yes, I am," Monica answered with a smug smile. "And if I want to win, I win. And I want to win. Do you have a problem with that?"

Piper's glare was intense. "I do, as a matter of fact. 'Cause I was planning on beating all my competitors into the ground. Wouldn't want perfectly good carpet ruined by your face plastered on it."

"Oh, it's on now," Monica retorted, putting her hands on her hips.

Mimicking her gesture, Piper snapped, "Bring it, sister. If you can."

"Bite me," Monica huffed. She then snatched her credit card from the amused receptionist and stalked off towards her husband.

* * *

"What's taking her so long?" Joey whined, slouching in the easy chair he'd taken.

Giving Joey an exasperated glare, Chandler replied, "Shut up, Joe. That three-year-old over there is acting better than you are."

"Well, I wanna check out the game room!" Joey retorted. When Chandler only rolled his eyes, Joey rummaged around in his bag for the Sports Illustrated he'd stuffed in there for the flight. Maybe looking at naked chicks would ward off his mounting boredom.

He half-listened to Chandler make conversation with the father sitting across from them. "Your son is so quiet," Chandler remarked, looking at the blonde-haired toddler, then at his own infants in each of their carriers. "You're lucky."

The man laughed. "You should've heard him on the flight."

"Oh, where are you from?" Chandler asked.

"San Francisco. I'm here with my wife for the cooking competition," the man explained, holding out his hand. "I'm Leo, and that woman over there is my wife, Piper. She's the chef."

Chandler shook it. "I'm Chandler. My family and I are from Westchester. And that woman over _there_ is Monica, my wife. She's also the chef in the family."

"Looks like there's a problem," Leo remarked.

At Chandler's groan, Joey looked up to see what the fuss was about. Monica and Piper were staring each other down, each with dark looks on their faces. He knew that look Monica was wearing. If Joey was that Piper chick, he'd be running away. Fast.

"I apologize in advance if my wife punches your wife," Chandler said with a deep sigh.

"Same here," Leo replied, getting up out of his chair. "I better go over there. Come on, Wyatt."

The toddler had been playing with the babies, but waved good-bye to Chandler and followed his father to the reception desk. However, before they got there, Monica stormed off and walked over to Chandler. "The nerve of that woman. She's such a…" she trailed off, with a sidelong look at the babies. "…witch."

"Making friends, I see?" Chandler deadpanned.

Glaring at him, Monica picked up Jack's carrier. "Come on, you get Erica. Our room is on the third floor."

"Aw, do we have to go to our room _now_?" Joey whined, putting his magazine back in his bag.

Chandler picked up his daughter's carrier and retorted, "Fine. Go check out the game room." When Monica was safely out of earshot, he whispered to Joey, "And see if there's a foosball table."

"Will do…" Joey hesitated. A beautiful woman had just walked into the lobby, a suitcase in hand. Her curly brown hair fell past her shoulders, and her body was incredibly tan and slim. "…in a minute. See ya."

Before long, Joey was approaching the woman. Casually leaning on a table, he greeted, "How you doin'? I'm Joey."

"Hi," the woman replied with a chuckle. "I'm Phoebe. Are you the welcoming committee?"

Joey smiled. "You could say that. How long are you in town for?"

"A week. My sister is in the cooking competition," Phoebe explained.

Joey studied her for a second. Come to think of it, the woman _did_ look a lot like the chick Monica was arguing with. Looking around, he pointed out the woman to Phoebe. "Is _that_ your sister?"

"Yes, actually. How did you know?" Phoebe asked, surprised.

Frowning, Joey briefly considered how wise it would be to ask out a woman who was the sister of Monica's newest enemy. Then he shrugged it off. What Monica didn't know didn't hurt her. "Just a guess. You both look alike…both gorgeous, with killer brown eyes…"

"Speaking of killer, my _boyfriend_ should be coming in any second…" Phoebe trailed off, her gaze shifting toward the doors. Through them, he could see a man taking bags out of a car. "That's him, actually Cole.."

Joey paled. Her boyfriend was _big_. Gulping, Joey said, "Well, it was nice meeting you." Not giving her a chance to reply, he sped off to find the game room.

Before he went out of the lobby, however, he stopped to look at his competition. Now that his pride was hurt, he thought _I could take him. He doesn't look that tough._ His mind made up, he went outside to introduce himself…

Only to find Cole talking with someone else, a man dressed in grungy clothes that could be rags. The two started to wander off. Curious, Joey followed. The three ended up in a side alley between two of the hotel buildings. While Joey hid, he watched as Cole talked with the other guy.

Then Cole raised his arm. Fire shot out of his hand, hitting the stranger and causing him to erupt into flames. Not bothered by the phenomenon, Cole started walking back out of the alley toward Joey.

Joey couldn't move. He was terrified. Phoebe in mind, Joey couldn't help but think that he'd just hit on the girlfriend of a killer with freaky fire-throwing powers.

_I'm dead._

_TBC_


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chandler has just put Erica in her playpen and someone to knocks on the hotel door urgently. Chandler ignores it at first because he is about to hand Erica her rattle when he hears Joey yelling

"Chandler! Open the damn door open! Please open the door he's going to kill me!"

"Not again!" Chandler groans. Joey on numerous occasions had flirted on the girl who happened to have an ape like boyfriend.

"Joey what kind murderous boyfriend did you piss off this time?" Chandler opens and somewhat surprised to see Joey pale in the face

"H-heisamonster!He'samonster" Joey babbled inteligibly

"Joey! Slow down and speak in more than one syllable" Chandler offered gently and placed Joey on the coach by the closet

"This girl's boyfriend killed this guy with like a flamethrower or something. And it was out of his hand!"

Chandler looks bemused

"Joey, have you been watching Buffy again?"

"I'm telling you Chandler, this guy was like a freak or something".

"Joey let me just…" Chandler stopped and gulped when the rattle seemed to dissolve into a million little blue lights and teleported itself into Erica's small hand

"C-Chandler what the hell is going around here?" Joey stammered

"How should I know Joe?"

"She's your daughter!"

"Yeah! But she's no freak of nature!"

"Well if you asked me, you the have the youngest magician in history"

"Joey…"

Suddenly a bunch of orbs began to form right next to Chandler causing to revert back to his old startled scream

"Gah!"

Leo orbed in and groaned when he saw Chandler

"_The Elders had to assign me to charge Piper's competitor's daughter." Leo thought worriedly _

Leo had nothing against Chandler, he in fact liked the guy. But Piper on the other hand.

"It's the dude from the lobby!" Joey shouted

"This has to be some sort of dream or something. I knew I shouldn't let Joey talk me into eating that Italian Pizza Sub!"

"Hey! You said you wanted to try it!" Joey pointed accusingly

"Chandler, your daughter has wonderful er gifts." Leo said reasonably

"What kind of gifts?" Chandler asked suspiciously

* * *

Meanwhile in Whole foods Grocery. Monica is picking out groceries and Jack is supposedly in his bassinet in the grocery cart

"Okay Jackey time for us to go back to the hotel where is Mommy going beat the milk out of that wit…." Monica stops in mid sentence and lets out a scream when she notices Jack has supposedly disappeared out of his bassinet.

Back to the hotel

"Are you telling me the children Mon and I adopted are basically a wizard/angel?" Chandler sounding flabbergasted

Leo sat there on the bed along with Joey who was holding Erica while Chandler paced back and forth

"Basically and its half witch half whitelighter" Leo said while he twiddled his thumbs trying to as patient as possible

"Hey Chandler it's nothing to freak about. I mean you are the dad of a superhero how cool is that?!"

"Joey it's not cool it's… I don't know what it is." Chandler sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair

Chandler stopped his pacing and turned his attention to both Joey and Leo

"I can't tell Mon this."

"What? Chandler she has every right to know about this." Joey stated angrily

"Joey you know how Mon is! She is way too into this competition thingy! If I did tell her about it now. She will accuse me of distracting me with nonsense and she will think that I am supporting the other contestants."

"I agree with you on this Chandler. Piper is the same way. We can't tell anyone while this competition is going on."

"Why not?!" Joey asked starting to sound upset

"Because it's easier that way Joe!" Chandler reasoned

"No isn't! It just like when you made me not to tell anyone about you and Monica"

"Monica is one of my best friend's sister." Chandler explained to Leo

"Yeah and not just Ross" Joey said angrily

"Monica's brother's name." Chandler also explained

"Chandler! I'm not an idiot!" Leo sounding annoyed

"Oh sorry I got you confuse with Joey"

"Hey!" Joey shouted angrily which caused Erica to start crying

"Joey you know I didn't mean it!" Chandler said calmly

Chandler reached over and picked Erica up from Joey's lap

"It's okay sweetheart. Joey is just being silly Joey" Chandler stated soothingly

Leo smiled feeling reassured that Chandler can handle having two magical babies. Then concern and horror seemed fill Leo when he realized where Jack is.

"Chandler, Jack is with Monica right?" Leo asked cautiously

"Yeah so what?" Chandler asked annoying then realization hit

"Oh shit!" Chandler swore that caused Erica to whimper

"So what's the big deal?" Joey asked looking confused

Leo and Chandler looked at Joey incredulously

"Joey…" Leo stated slowly

"If Erica has magic then…"

Joey figured it out

"Then Jack is magical too. Oh My God Chandler what are we going to do."

"Maybe Jack's powers haven't developed yet." Chandler said hopefully

"That is not true with twins. Their powers would develop around the same time."

"So your saying… Monica is going to find out no matter what."

Leo sighs

"Basically"

Joey looks from Leo to Chandler

"Maybe Leo is wrong Chandler. Jack's powers might not start"

"You're probably…" Chandler starts to say then stunned when a small form began to come together from small blue orbs and then Jack appears giggling in Joey's lap.

"Wrong..." Leo finishes and gives Joey a dirty look

"Maybe Monica won't notice." Joey laughs uneasily

Chandler's cell starts ringing

"Or maybe she will since she's not blind." Chandler stated sarcastically

Chandler hands Erica over to Leo and then answers his cell

"H-hey Mon your probably wondering where Jack is right now…" Chandler laughs nervously and then glances over to Leo and Joey while waiting for her response.

TBC


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**By writerchic16**

* * *

Leo watched with a strong sense of helplessness as Chandler spoke on the cell phone. This was the part of the job he hated the most – feeling useless while his charge dealt with personal problems. If they were in trouble with demons or trying to practice their powers, Leo could fix the problem. But when it came to the reactions and interactions of family members…all he could do was stand there and offer advice, if asked for. 

And this did happen. On more than one occasion, his charge would have to tell a loved one about his or her new identity. Though…Leo had to admit it was rare for the _parent_ of his charge to be the one doing the confessing. "Poor Chandler," Leo muttered.

"Yeah, and it doesn't help that you just scared the crap out of him by…_appearing_ like that," Joey whispered.

Leo almost jumped. He hadn't realized that Joey was within hearing distance. "I'm sorry," Leo replied, also in a lower voice. "But Erica is a relatively new charge. I'm not in tune with her yet…meaning it's hard for me to sense for _her_, let alone people around her."

"Oh," Joey said in an understanding tone. "Then that's okay, I guess. But…you said Erica. What about Jack? Isn't he your…'charge'…or whatever you said?"

Sighing, Leo thought about his meeting with the Elders over his newest, and youngest, charge. Both babies would grow to be powerful, and require separate whitelighters. And Jack's whitelighter would be Paige…though she didn't quite know that yet. Leo imagined it would come as quite as shock to her, since she never had a charge before. "No. Jack is assigned to another whitelighter."

"Right…what's a whitelighter again?" Joey asked.

Preventing himself from chuckling, Leo had to feel sorry for the guy. Joey was more confused than shocked over this whole mess. "A sort of guardian angel for good witches."

"Oh, okay."

Leo smiled, then turned back to Chandler's predicament. The last line Chandler had said was "Hey Mon, you're probably wondering where Jack is right now." Then shouts and frantic cries came through the phone, and Chandler hadn't been able to get a word in edge wise.

"_Where is my baby?" Monica was wailing. "One minute he was there…and then he wasn't! I didn't lose him – I'm sure of that. He just disappeared in blue lights…"_

"I know, sweetie, it's okay," Chandler soothed.

"_You have to believe me! I did not lose him! Wait…how did you know I was looking for Jack?"_

"It's a…long story," Chandler answered, giving Leo an anxious glance. "Um, honey, I know you're worried, but just get back to the room, okay? Jack's here…" More shouting. "…I can explain when you get back, okay? Joey and I are in the hotel room."

With that, he shut the phone, threw it on the table, and rubbed his face with his hands. "Well, that was pleasant."

"Chandler, are you okay?" Leo asked, knowing it was a stupid question the second it left his mouth.

Chandler glared at him. "Am I _okay_, asks the _angel_! Of course I'm not freaking okay! I just found out my children are beings only found in children's books and supernatural-drama TV shows! What the hell am I supposed to do now, huh? I can't raise magical kids! If I try to ground them, they'll turn me into toads or snails or whatever the hell witches turn puny humans into these days!"

"How am I supposed to do this? How are _we_ supposed to do this? Monica certainly can't! She's never going to accept the fact that her children are half-witch, half-angel. She just….she's not…she doesn't believe things easily. I left a water-ring on the coffee table, and it took a week to convince her Joey did it!"

"Hey!" Joey protested. "I got cut off from leftovers for a week because of that!"

Holding Erica in his lap, since Chandler had handed her over to talk on the phone, Leo tried to be as placating as possible. Though in all honesty, he was a little surprised at the moment too. When he'd seen Chandler in the lobby, he hadn't made the connection that he was Erica's father. "Calm down. To address your first issue…the Elders have granted you and Monica protection from your children's magic, precisely so what you mentioned. Secondly, they are still children. Raise them well, and they will become good witches, not the bad version you humans seem so concerned about."

Chandler stared at Leo, the full impact of his rant dawning on him. "I'm sorry, man. What can I say, being insensitive is a talent of mine."

"Yeah, and you're really not giving Monica credit," Joey put in. "I mean, she loves Erica and Jack…_so_ much. If she found out they were aliens from another dimension, she'd still love them. How can you think otherwise?"

Defeated, Chandler sank into a nearby club chair. "I am a horrible, horrible person."

"No you're not, you're just freaked out," Joey reminded him. "And if it makes you feel better, I told her that you were the one who left a dirty spoon on the counter, so we're even."

Leo gazed at the two, not sure if he was amused or bewildered. The not-so-bright Joey had just become incredibly deep, then snapped back to his easy-going persona in a split second. It was obvious the two had a strong bond, for Leo had a feeling that Joey did not show his deep side often. Handing Erica to Chandler, Leo stood up off the bed. Piper was calling for him, probably wondering where he'd gone off to. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

And he orbed out of the room, more than curious of what the two would discuss while he was gone.

* * *

Tapping her foot, Paige leaned against a side wall. Her, her sisters, and Cole had ducked into a nearby stairwell while Piper called for Leo, who'd gone on assignment. There hadn't been any space in the lobby where no one would notice a bunch of sparkly blue lights appearing out of thin air. Since there were no less than eight working elevators right outside the door, they figured they would be safe here.

"So what happened with you?" Paige asked Cole, noting that the demon had been acting more tense than usual ever since checking in.

Cole sent her a cold look. "I'll explain when Leo gets here."

"Okay then," Paige retorted, fighting the urge to groan. Figures. She finally got a vacation, and here they were, worrying about demons and charges and whitelighters…_Oh my,_ Paige thought with a sardonic smirk.

Growing impatient, Piper cupped her hands around her mouth. "Leo! Where the hell did you go?"

"Sorry about that," Leo said as he materialized. Kissing Piper in greeting, he explained, "My charge is at this hotel. Hey, um…you remember that woman you nearly tore apart in the lobby earlier? Monica?"

"Yes," Piper snapped, not too pleased by the memory.

Phoebe chuckled. "Yeah, she was with that _cute_ Italian guy. He tried to hit on me though, so I'm guessing they're not married."

"He did what?" Cole exclaimed.

Putting a soothing hand on his shoulder, Phoebe assured him, "It's okay. He took one look at you and ran for the hills. I think his name was…Joey?"

"Of course it is," Leo sighed. As the others gave him confused glances, he went on, "See, my new charge is Monica and her husband Chandler's infant daughter, Erica."

Piper's eyes widened. "That bitch was a witch too?"

Frowning, Leo answered, "No. The babies are adopted. Neither Chandler nor Monica have any idea magic even exists."

"So this is going to be a happy surprise for them," Phoebe deadpanned. "I'm surprised the Elders let two humans adopt magical babies." After glancing at Paige, she added, "Who's power wasn't bound, of course."

Leo let out a deep breath. "This is going to be very complicated. See. Erica and her twin brother Jack are half-witch, half-whitelighter, like Paige. Only, their mother was young, so she wasn't prepared to raise children yet, not to mention she was alone, and the Elders still haven't come around to _fully_ accepting children of this kind. Since the babies hadn't shown any signs of powers, she didn't think twice of letting them be adopted by humans."

"But obviously the babies _are_ magical. Which still doesn't explain why the Elders didn't do anything to stop it," Piper replied.

"I'm getting to it," Leo said. "Anyway, like I mentioned, the babies' powers didn't develop until later. Not to mention that Erica, the mother, tried to keep the whole thing as low-key as possible, since it's not a secret that the Elders aren't fans of witch-whitelighter relationships. I was only assigned to Erica, that's the baby, now because she started showing signs of power. The Elders considered taking the babies away, but they did background checks on Monica and Chandler. Though you might not like her, Piper, Monica has the qualities of a great parent, and it's thought that she would encourage their powers. As would Chandler, though he's a little shaken up right now."

At this, the four listeners stared at him. Asking the question that was in all their heads, Cole said, "Wait, he _knows_? Do they both know?"

Leo gave them a sheepish grin. "I'm, ah, not 'tuned into' Erica yet, so I didn't sense that Chandler…and Joey…were in the room. Joey, their best friend, knows – but he's trustworthy. In fact, Monica and Chandler are part of a group of six friends who will play important parts in raising Jack and Erica…so it's important that group knows as well."

"Can this _get_ any more complicated?" Paige huffed, trying to process all the facts she'd been given in the past few minutes.

Sending her a weak smile, Leo began, "Paige, funny _you_ should ask…"

"What?" Paige asked, taking a second to figure out what Leo was implying. Then it hit her. Leo mentioned another baby, Jack. Who would need a whitelighter as well. Her eyes widened. "No. No no no no no…"

Becoming serious, Leo said, "Paige, you're half-whitelighter too, not just a witch. You need to embrace that side of you."

"But I'm on _vacation_!" Paige whined, sinking onto one of the steps.

"So was I. Deal with it," Piper ordered. As if remembering something, she turned to Cole, who was poorly concealing his amusement at Paige's anguish. "Didn't you have some news too?"

Cole shrugged. "Not as important as Leo's. But a lower-level demon tracked me down this morning. I was unpacking the car and he cornered me into the side alley. I did vanquish him, but who knows what he may have told his friends, so…"

"Oh no, honey," Phoebe moaned, kissing him on his cheek. "But we just got here!"

Kissing her back, Cole apologized, "I know, and I'm sorry. But we can't be too careful. Besides, I didn't recognize who the demon was working for. I'll need to do some research in the Underworld anyway."

"Fine," Phoebe pouted. The two kissed good-bye, and Cole shimmered out.

Phoebe crossed her arms over her chest. "Some vacation."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Paige agreed, still slumped against the stair railing.

Trading exasperated glances, Piper and Leo let them mope for a moment. Then Leo pulled Paige to her feet. "Come on. You need to meet your charge. And help me explain things to Monica."

"I think it would be better if I stayed behind," Piper said as they all walked into the lobby. Then she paused, her gaze attracted to the front doors.

A panicked, slim woman in her thirties rushed into the room. Her raven hair hung past her shoulders, pieces of it falling into her face. Blue eyes wide with fear, she clutched onto her pocketbook with white knuckles.

"Let me guess. That's Monica?" Paige asked.

"Yup," Leo replied. "Monica Geller-Bing."

Her hands on her hips, Paige groaned. "Great."


End file.
